Identifying means for pneumatic-dispatch-tube carriers



F. S. LEAVITT AND E. A. STAPLES. IDENTIFYING MEANS FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH TUB'E CARRIERS. APPLICATION man :uwze, 1921.

1,423,440, Patented July 18,1922.

I [I .I 2/ x0 I 'Z/ E Z/ 17' A? 3 z 2 ca /6 g anon Ito a ng kmabtomm b PM WW\M FRANK S. LEA'V'ITT, OF MELROSE, AND ERNEST A. STAPLES, OE DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NORS TO'ATLAS DEVIG S COMPANY, INQ, A CORPORA- TION OT NEW YORK.

IDENTIFYING MEANS FOR BNEUMATIC-DISPATCH--TUBE CARRIERS.

L4L23A4Ltl.

Application filed July 29,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK S. LEAVITT, a citizen of the United States, resident of Melrose, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, and ERNEST A. SrArLns,a citizenof the United States, resident of Dorchester, and county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Identifying Means for Pneumatic-Dispatch-Tube Carriers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to carriers for pneumatic dispatch tube systems, and involves the provision of identifyingmeans for the carriers so that they may be readily distinguished one from another, or classified and identified with particular outlying points or stations in the system.

Pneumatic tube systems usually provide communication between a-number of outlying stations and a central station, and also in some instances between outlying stations and between substations of the'central station. Taking the familiar example of a pneumatic dispatch tube system for a department store, the various counters throughout the store are all in communication by separate lines of tubes with a central station towhich the carriers are sent with sales slips and cash, credit slips, or other records, where the transactions are recorded, or change made and inserted in the carriers which are then despatched to the counters from which they were sent. The lines of tubes for transmitting the carriers from outlying stations to the central station commonly have their terminals or discharge ends in the latter banked over a desk, at which also the sending tubes from the central station to the outlying stations are similarly arranged adjacent the receiving tubes. The carriers are received at the desk from all outlying stations by an operator or clerk who carries out the necessary.transactions, and then sends the carriers back to the respective outlying stations from which they were received. j r

In order that the carriers may be identified with the particular outlying stations Specification of Letters Patent.

with identifying numerals.

Patented July 118, 31922.

readily determine to which stations the carv riers are to be returned. It has heretofore been the common practice to mark the carier with identifying characters usually by stamp ngrthe body or shell of the carrier identification has the disadvantage that the markings cannot readily be changed. where the. body or shell of the carrier is stamped with identifying characters, they are usually difficult to find and not easily read, becoming more and more illegible as the markings are subjected to wear on this portion of the carrier. 7

In accordance with the present'invention the carrier is provided with identifying means secured to the ends of the carrier,

in which position it is at once readily visible to the operator, as well when the carriers are lying on a desk as when they are picked up by the operator to be returned to outlying stations. The identifying means are conveniently numbered, and one scheme of classification of the carriers is to mark all carriers at eacheof the outlying stations with the same number. or example, in a department store all carriers at one outlying station or counter would bear the number be marked 15, etc.

to their respective outlying stations are correspondingly numbered, and so the carriers may be speedily despatched by inserting them in the lines bearing like numbers;

The identifying device of the present invention is set in recesses one at each end of the carrier, or in recesses in bufler'heads at the ends of the carrier, in each of which it is removably secured, and is provided with suitable identifying characters. These characters are, therefore, not only readily seen, but they are protected against injury or obliteration through hand 1111;: of the carrier and the ClQVlCGS may also easily be removed to change the identifying characters.

Where the identifying device is employed in connection with a carrier having builer heads at its ends provided with recesses,

Such means of the device is preferably fastened in place in each recess by the means securing the buffer heads to the body of the carrier. For example, the securing means for each buffer head may include a plate or washer fitted in its recess, in which case the identifying device is fastened in place by a clip, secured by the plate, the clip having upstanding ends which, are bent over the identifying device to fasten it in place in the recess. Preferably the identifying device consists of a plate carrying identifiying characters on its surface, the plate fitting in the recess on top of the plate or washer for securing each of the bulfer heads at the endsof the carrier. l

Inthe specific embodiment. of the invention described hereinafter the carrier is of the type comprising a shell or body portion, the ends of which are provided with buffer heads. The buffer heads have recesses in their ends in each of which a washer is fitted, and appropriate means are provided for tightening the washers gainst the inside of the shell for securing the buffer heads to the carrier. The identifying device, vone which is inserted in each of the recesses in the buffer heads at the ends of thecarrier consists of a plate carrying identifying numorals and a sheet of transparent material covering the plate to protect-its surface bearing the identifying character against wear. In each of the recessesis a clip, secured by the washers therein, for fastening the identifying device in place by bendingover the ends of the clip so ,that the devices may easily be removed and other devices bearing a different identifying character inserted.

The inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in application, as for example, to a pneumatic dispatch tube carrierhaving a buiferhead, in which- Figure 1 represents a type ofpneumatic dispatch tube carrier having bufler heads at the ends thereof, the carrier being shown partly open;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the carrier, illustrated. in Figure 1, showing the method of attaching the identifying devicein the ends of the buffer heads ;j

Figure 8 is an end view of the carrier showing the identifying device set in the buffer head and the clips for holding it in place; i y 1 Figure 4: is a view similar to Figure 3 with the identifying device removed;

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the parts comprising the identifying device, Figure 5 being a disc of trans 3arent material andFigure 6 a plate provided with identifying characters; i t

Figure 7 shows a plate provided with screw holes, one of which, is employed for fastening each buffer head to the body of the carrier 1 ,eeaaeo Figure 8 is a perspective view of the clip for securing the identifying device in place, and i Figure9 is a section of the body of the carrier taken along the line 99,of Figure 2.

The carrier consists of a shell or body portion 10 having at its ends buffer heads 11, the latter being made of felt or any other soft, resilient substance. The body portion of the carrier consists of two cylinders 12 and 13 fitted together, or telescoped, and movable relative to each other, the cylinders having openings 1d and 115 respectively, which may be brought into and out of registry to open and; close the carrier. The outer cylinder 13 is provided with a stop 16 which is engaged by the notches 17 and 18 in the inner cylinder to limit the relative movement of the cylinders and fix their extreme open and closed positions.

Each of the buffer heads 11 is provided with a recess 19 in which fits a plate 20 having screw holes 2l. Passingthrough the screw holes 21 and the buffer 11 arescrews 22 theends of which screw into the bar on the inside of the body portion of the carmen of the body portion of the carrier between the plate 2Q and the bar 23. The plate 20 also serves as part of the fastening, means for the identifying device in eachof the recesses 19 in the buffer heads 11. Secured tween the plate 20' and the bottom of the recess 1951s a clip 24 havingupstanding end pieces 25 extending above the plate 20.

The buffer 11 is thus held on the end i F itted between these end pieces 25 and on top of the plate 20 is a disc 26 carryingthe identifying device, as for example, a paper disc having identifying numerals printed Y thereon, and over this disc is placed a disc 27 made of transparent material, preferably non-breakable material, such as celluloid, through which the identifying characters are visible. The discs 26and 27 are fastened in place simply by bending the upstanding end pieces 25 of the clip 2% over the edges of the discs.

ios

It: will be evident thatthe identifying l setin the carrieigit is simply necessary to bend back the upstanding ends 25 of the clips, pry out dlscs 26 and 27, and insert a new disc for the disc 26, replace thetransparent disc 27 and bend the ends 25 of the clips over the discs.

\Ve claim: r 1 1. A pneumatic dispatch tube carrier com,- prisingabody portion,and a buffer head at the end thereof, said buffer headihaving, a recess, means in said recess for securing the buffer head to said body portion, and an identifying device fastened in the recess by said buffer securing means.

2. A pneumatic dlspatch tube carrier comprising a body portion and a buffer head at the end thereof, said buffer head having a recess in its end, means in said recess for securing the buffer head to said body portion, an identifying device for the carrier consisting of a plate carrying identifying characters, and a clip fastened in the recess by said Y the ends thereof, said buffer heads having recesses in their ends, plates fitted in said recesses, means for tightening said plates against the inside of the carrier for securing the buffer heads to the body portion, clips secured by said plates, and plates carrying identifying characters held in the recesses by said clips.

5. A pneumatic dispatch tube carrier comprising a body portion and buffer heads at the ends thereof, said buffer heads having recesses in their vends, Washers fitted in said recesses, means for tightening said Washers against the inside of the carrier for securing the buffer heads to the body portion, clips secured by said Washers, and an identifying device for insertion in each of said recesses consisting of a plate carrying identifying numerals, a sheet of transparent material for covering said plate to protect the surface thereof, and clips in each of said recesses secured by the Washers therein for fastening the identifying devices in place in the recesses by bending over the ends of the clips.

In testimony whereof We afiiX our signatures.

FRANK S. LEAVITT. ERNEST A. STAPLES. 

